This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Our work focuses mainly on cadherin cell adhesion molecules. About 100 cadherins are found in the human genome. They are expressed on the surfaces of all cells of solid tissues, and binding between them holds cells together in multicellular structures such as tissue layers. The differential binding of cadherins plays an important role in the development of the multicellular structures of animals, yet their selectivity is little understood.